


Break The Walls Down

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Sterek Prompts [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Book Nerd Derek Hale, Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Laura Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Kate Argent, Mentioned Lydia Martin, Mentioned Scott McCall, Mutual Pining, Stiles Works With Computers, The Hales Own a Bookstore, Writer Derek Hale, mentioned Cora Hale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 18:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11236416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Stiles moves into the apartment right next to Derek and winds up knocking a hole in the wall and into Derek's living room, where Derek is very much naked. Stiles then makes it his mission to make the incident up to Derek. From there they form a friendship and maybe something more.





	1. Believe You Me, You Are Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I still suck at summaries. This is from the prompt: "We live in adjacent apartments and one day I accidentally knocked a hole in the wall and into your living room I’m really sorry oh my god you’re naked AU" [found here](http://captanjamestkirk.tumblr.com/post/118592591316/some-more-cute-aus-for-all-your-otp-needs)
> 
> This really got away from me but I had fun writing it. Title is taken from The Rocket Summer's song "Walls" which was stuck in my head the whole time I was writing this. Mainly because I had a part written from Derek's perspective but it didn't really fit with the rest of it.
> 
> This was not beta read so there might be some mistakes. Feel free to point them out and I'll fix them. 
> 
> Thanks to my lovely friend Kacie ([beautyinstarlight](http://archiveofourown.org/users/beautyinstarlight/pseuds/beautyinstarlight)) for helping me out when I got stuck. You're the best!

All Stiles was trying to do was put up the giant painting that Lydia had given him and insisted he hang up in his new apartment. The problem was the thing was bigger than he was and a little hard to maneuver. He knows the smart thing to do was probably wait and have someone help him put it up, but Stiles was determined to do this on his own if only to prove that he could. He was making his way across the room with the painting, not really able to see where he was heading when he tripped. He tried to steady himself which lead to a lot of flailing and the next thing he knows the painting is crashing through the wall and he’s on his back on the floor. 

Stiles looks up from his position on the floor to the new hole his living room wall, where a scowling man is peering through at him. A scowling man who just happens to be very naked and who’s dick Stiles has an excellent view of thanks for his position on the floor. Stiles shakes himself, looking back up at the man’s face, and tries to think of a way to make this less awkward. Stiles being Stiles does the only thing he can think of in this situation, he grins and waves introducing himself "Hi, I'm Stiles!"

The man’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, as he reaches behind him to grab a pillow to cover himself "Derek."

Stiles is momentarily distracted by Derek's voice, which sounds nothing like he would expect it to. It's so much softer. And wow those eyes. If he hadn't just busted through this guy’s wall... No. Not the time for that. 

"Look Derek, I'm really sorry about this. I just moved in and was trying to move a painting and tripped, which if you knew me you'd know leads to a lot of flailing. Which is how this" Stiles points to the wall "happened. I'm really sorry and I'll..."

"Stiles." Derek raises his hand, while still keeping one gripped to the pillow covering himself, and interrupts Stiles' rambling "It's fine. We'll get it fixed. Things happen. It's no big deal."

Stiles shakes his head "No, it is. I busted through your wall dude. I'm going to make it up to you."

"You really don't have to."

"Nope. No arguments. I'm going to. It’s the least I can do."

Derek tries to argue more but Stiles waves him off, already standing up and deciding to find as many ways possible to make this up Derek. And if that means he gets to spend more time with Derek, well that's a bonus.

XxXx

It starts with little things. Stiles bakes Derek cookies, brownies, banana bread, and other assortments of baked goods and brings them to him and at least once a week. He helps Derek carry up his groceries when he sees that has a big load to carry. He even helps Derek put together a table from IKEA when after he sees it being delivered and then hears the frustrated cursing from Derek's apartment through the hole in the wall. He even regularly helps Derek when he has problems with his computer. Which winds up being often, but lucky for Derek Stiles knows a lot about computers so it's not really an issue.

At first they had to communicate while the wall was getting fixed, but pretty soon they just start hanging out together. Sometimes talking about books, since Derek has an impressive collection and Stiles has found he loves to hear Derek excitedly talk about his favorites. His eyes light up and sometimes he even rambles when he’s truly passionate about the book he’s discussing. Stiles loves it. So maybe he’ll purposefully bring up Derek’s favorite books just to hear him talk about them. That’s something new too. They’ve spent enough time together for Stiles to actually know what Derek’s favorite books are. 

Stiles also discovers that Derek has never seen Star Wars. Stiles couldn't let that one go. He showed up the next day he he knew Derek had off with pizza, junk food, and his movie collection and made himself comfortable on Derek's couch. At this point Derek didn't even question it, just rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable next Stiles on the couch. They sat there pressed together, sharing popcorn, while Stiles pointed out his favorite parts to Derek. When it was getting late Stiles offered to put off watching the rest if Derek wanted to sleep but Derek just shook his head and got more comfortable on the couch content to watch the rest of the movies.

XxXx

One day, about 6 months after they started hanging out, Stiles overheard Derek talking to his sister Cora about a book he’s been looking for but has been having trouble finding. After that Stiles made it his mission to track down the book so that he could give it to Derek. He also kept checking in with Cora to make sure Derek hadn’t found it yet. Which wasn't that weird since Stiles had met Cora a few weeks after him and Derek started hanging out and they had hit it off. Derek pretended to be annoyed by their friendship but Cora had told Stiles that Derek was actually pleased they got along so well.

Finding the book was hard work but after 3 weeks of searching and then waiting for it to arrive, Stiles successfully had the book in his hands. Now that he had it though he was a little bit nervous. They had long since gotten passed the time where Stiles was trying to make up the hole in the wall to Derek. They were friends now, maybe even best friends. But Stiles knew it was more than that. Scott had been Stiles’ best bro for years and he loved the dude but he didn’t know if he would randomly put in the effort to find some rare item he wanted. Maybe for Christmas or his birthday but for no reason? Probably not. But Derek. Derek was different. Stiles had long ago accepted that his feelings for Derek were much more than friendship. This book showed that. He got it just because he knew it was something that would make Derek happy, and Stiles loved seeing Derek happy. He was just worried that Derek would realize that and things would be ruined. He has no idea what Derek feels for him and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship if he doesn’t feel the same way.

Stiles is shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of a knock on his door. He knows it’s Derek. Stiles had invited him over to watch movies a few hours ago. Stiles is surprised Derek even bothered knocking. The two of them had long since gotten passed knocking on each other’s doors, normally just walking in and announcing themselves. 

Before Stiles can make his way over to the door Derek walks in with a smile on his face “Hey Stiles.”

“Hey Derek.” Stiles says, looking around the room trying to see if there’s any place he can hide the book before Derek sees it.

Derek notices however and raises an eyebrow, gesturing to the book in Stiles’ hands “What’s that?” 

“This? Oh, this is nothing. “

“It doesn’t look like nothing. It looks like a book.” Derek steps closer, peering at the title. His eyes widen when he notices what it is. “Is that…? I’ve been trying to find that book for ages!”

Stiles smiles, seeing how excited Derek is and hands the book over to him. He’s already seen it so there’s no point in hiding it. “I know. I may have overheard your conversation with Cora and then tracked it down with her help.”

“You did that? For me?” Derek looks up from where he’s studying the book “Why?”

“Because I wanted to do something nice for you.” Stiles says, rubbing the back of his neck and keeping his eyes focused on the floor.

“As a way of making it up to me for the hole in the wall? Or something else?” 

“You know we’re passed the whole hole in the wall thing. This was…” Stiles takes a deep breath and decides he might as well just be honest “I love how excited you get about things you love, especially books. You whole face just lights up and you talk with so much passion. Your walls come down and you always look so happy and beautiful and I just wanted to be the one to make you look like that.”

Derek smiles, stepping even closer to Stiles “You already do.” Stiles’ eyes widen when Derek cups his cheek and continues speaking “Sure, talking about things I like makes me happy. But it's even better when I'm discussing them with you. And getting this book in general would have made me happy. But I love it even more because it came from you. I love spending time with you Stiles. I just… I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Then they’re kissing, slow and chaste, a promise of things to come. That is until Stiles takes the book from Derek’s hands and puts it down on the table, freeing up his hands to do other things like grip the back of Stiles neck and pull him closer. 

“You know what I think is unfair?” Derek asks, between peppering Stiles’ neck with kisses and bites. Which, wow. Stiles is having trouble focusing on anything other than the feeling of finally having Derek’s lips on his skin. 

“What?”

Derek pulls back to look at Stiles, smirking a bit “That you’ve seen me naked but I haven’t had the same privilege with you.”

Stiles grins “I think we should change that don’t you?”

“Definitely.”

Stiles starts walking backwards towards his bedroom, too wrapped up in kissing Derek to be paying attention to where he’s going. Which is why he gets his foot caught in the rug and winds up once again falling on his ass, this time pulling Derek along with him. He would be embarrassed but Derek just laughs and kisses him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments are <3.  
> I couldn't think of a name for the book that Stiles gets Derek so it can be whatever you want it to be.


	2. Let The Walls Break Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek noticed Stiles the day he moved in but could never get up the nerve to introduce himself. Little did he know that decision was going to be taken out of his hands completely when Stiles came busting through his living room wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote one little part of this with the first chapter and it just didn't feel right there. I just couldn't let go of the idea of exploring more of Derek's side of things, and including the Hales, so here it is. As usual, this was not beta read so any mistakes are my own.

As a writer, Derek spent a lot of his time alone in his apartment. Except for the times he worked in the bookstore his family owned and had to leave the apartment to get groceries or his mail. Since he spent so much time alone in his apartment he would often walk around naked. No one was there to see him. Why should he bother with clothes? That was working out fine for him. That is until Stiles Stilinski moved into the apartment next to him.

He first noticed Stiles when he was on his way home from his shift at the bookstore and Stiles was moving into the apartment next to his. What he first noticed about Stiles was how loud he was, Derek could hear him from the floor below theirs. The next was his laugh. The first thing he saw when he stepped up onto the landing was how he laughed, with his head thrown back and an arm clutching his stomach. The sight drew Derek in. He didn’t introduce himself then, instead walked to his door and let himself in shutting the noise out.

That laugh stuck with him though. He often found himself close to going over to the apartment next door and introducing himself but never could get up the nerve. He was starting to think he missed his chance, that it would be weird to knock on the door and introduce himself to someone that had already lived in the building a month. Little did he know that the decision of when to meet his new neighbor wouldn’t be up to him at all.

Derek was sitting naked on his couch, with his laptop open in front of him, working on a new story idea. The next thing he knows there’s a crash coming from his right and then his wall is caving in, leaving a big gaping hole leading into the apartment next to his. His first instinct is to get up and run over and see what happened, completely forgetting that he is in fact naked. He scowls, looking from the painting poking its way through his wall to the man lying on the floor in the apartment next to his.

He catches the man looking down at his dick before visibly shaking himself and looking back up at Derek’s face. He’s a bit thrown when the man grins and waves and introduces himself as Stiles. Derek’s eyebrows knit together in confusion as he reaching behind himself to the couch so he can grab a pillow and cover himself, hoping to make this less awkward “Derek.”

After that Stiles starts rambling on apologizing for the hole in the wall and explaining what happens. Derek cuts off his apology, telling him it’s no big deal and that they’ll get it fixed. Stiles, however, doesn’t accept that and says he’s going to make it up to Derek, completely ignoring Derek’s protests otherwise.

XxXx

To say that Derek was reluctant to accept Stiles company at first would be an understatement. Sure, he would except Stiles’ gifts and help but he did so hesitantly and would always hold himself back, not quite letting himself be comfortable around Stiles. As time went on and he got to know Stiles he felt his guard lowering around the man. He grew to expect and enjoy Stiles company and on the days Stiles wasn’t around he found himself missing him. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time. The thought of letting someone in should scare him but it’s Stiles and somewhere along the way he’s grown to trust Stiles. After hanging out a few weeks Stiles had insisted that they exchange numbers so that they can text. "It'll make things easier Derek." Derek had reluctantly agreed. Derek was never big on texting, much preferring to talk on the phone. He found he didn't mind it as much with Stiles, even found himself smiling at the random texts Stiles would send him when they weren't together.

His favorite times with Stiles thought are the ones where he gets to discuss his favorite books. With anyone else Derek would give limited answers, not really sure if the person asking actually cares about his opinions. With Stiles it’s different, Stiles focuses on what he’s saying and even asks more questions when Derek stops talking. Sometimes Stiles even offers his own opinions on the books and Derek loves those moments the best, knowing that him and Stiles are both passionate about the same things.

Which is why he somehow finds himself settling in one Friday night to have a Star Wars marathon with Stiles. Stiles had been personally offended to find out that Derek had not seen a single Star Wars movie and had taken it upon himself to fix that problem. At least that's what he said. Derek may heave a sigh and roll his eyes but he loves the idea of Stiles showing him something he loves so much. And if misses parts of the movie because he's too busy listening to Stiles talking about his favorite parts or watching the way Stiles reacts to what's happening on the screen, well no one else needs to know about that.

XxXx

It’s a few months into them hanging out that the question of what Derek actually does comes up. Derek found out early on that Stiles works with computers. Sometimes he has to actually go help someone with their computer if the problem is more complex, but usually he’s able to handle the situation over the phone. Which is why he’s almost constantly at Derek’s place and probably noticed the amount of time Derek himself has been spending there.

"Did you lose your job?"

Derek looks up, startled, to see Stiles peering at him. He'd been writing down ideas as Stiles watched some show on his TV. He claimed Derek has a bigger TV, and maybe he did, but Derek didn’t think it was that much bigger to warrant Stiles constant use of it. Not that Derek minded all that much, he just liked to pretend that he did. Even though he was used to Stiles' presence by now. he was so in his head that the question caught him by surprise. "What? No. Why would you think that?"

"Because you've been spending more time at home lately and not at work."

This was true. That was more thanks to Laura and her meddling though. Ever since Laura had heard about Stiles from Cora, she had taken it upon herself to make sure he spends as much time as possible with the man. He doesn't need to tell Stiles that, however.

"I'm a writer." He tells Stiles instead "I already spend a lot of time at home writing. But my family owns a bookstore so I work there whenever I need money or they need me to fill in. My sister Laura has been wanting extra hours so she's taking a lot of shifts, which is why I've been home a lot more lately."

“That’s nice of you to help your sister out.” Stiles smiles at him before turning back to the TV, leaving Derek to focus on his work.

XxXx

A month later the Hales have all gathered at Derek’s apartment for a family dinner. Having heard so much about Stiles from both Derek and Cora, his mother and Laura both insisted that he invite Stiles over. He would say he was more suspicious of Laura’s motives but his mother can be cunning as well, Laura had to get it from someone after all, so he’s equally worried about what they’ll both say in front of Stiles.

"What I don't understand," Talia says from the kitchen, where her and Derek’s father are preparing dinner "Is why Laura's been taking so many extra shifts while Derek's barely been at the store at all. It's not like you need the money, Laura."

Derek's eyes widen, trying not to glance over at Stiles. Laura, however, just smiles sweetly at their mother "I was just trying to give Derek a break, he works so hard. Plus, I know he writes better from home where he can focus."

Derek feels a hand on his knee and looks over to see Stiles looking at him with wide eyes "Derek, I've been here almost constantly. Have I been bothering you?"

Derek shakes his head, waving Stiles off "Don't be ridiculous. I've enjoyed your company." He blushes, realizing what he just said, and hurries to go on "I write best late at night and early in the morning anyway so you're usually passed out or gone when I’m writing."

That's another new development, Stiles has more often than not spent most nights asleep on Derek's couch from where he'd fell asleep watching whatever movie or show he'd been watching. Derek found he liked the company, just the comfort of knowing someone else was there.

Laura smirks from her place by the counter "Believe me Stiles, if you were bothering Derek he wouldn't hesitate to kick you out. He's very choosy about his company."

"And who he lets us meet." His mother adds, "We're so very happy to finally meet you Stiles."

"You too, Mrs. Hale. I've heard a lot about you all from Derek and Cora but it's nice to finally put names to faces."

Derek feels a warmth in his chest seeing how easy Stiles and family get along. It's nice. They were right, though. He is choosy about who he lets meet his family, always having been protective of them. Past experience has shown that people aren’t always what they seem. After having let one toxic person into his lift who tried to hurt both him and his family he’s learned to be protective, not just of his family but himself as well. Somewhere along way, he realizes, he's came to feel that same protective feeling towards Stiles. Just in a different way. Stiles leaves his hand resting on Derek's knee while he talks to the rest of the Hales. Derek has trouble focusing on anything other than that and finds himself missing the warmth of it when they finally have to move to eat dinner.

XxXx

Derek tries to push the feeling away but he can’t. He’s drawn to Stiles. And the more time he spends with Stiles, the stronger the feelings he has for the other man get. It doesn’t help that his family absolutely adores Stiles. When Derek needs to write and Stiles isn’t working, he’s often spending his time with Laura or Cora. Talia has even invited Stiles over to lunch without Derek even being there. What the two discuss, he has no idea. Something tells Derek it probably involves Derek and baby pictures. The fact that his family love Stiles eases Derek’s mind a bit. It was never like that with any of Derek’s other relationships, not with Kate. But Derek and Stiles aren’t even in a relationship. They’re just friends, best friends yes, but friends. Yet Derek still gets this happy feeling knowing that if anything ever were to happen between him and Stiles that his family would approve. Knowing Laura and his Mom, they’re probably already planning the wedding.

It’s when Derek shows up at Stiles’ place for one of their regular movie nights and sees the book Stiles is holding that Derek decides enough is enough. Derek knows how rare that book is. He knows because he himself has spent months searching for it. Derek does know how determined Stiles can be when he wants to be, add that to the fact that he’s basically a genius with computers and there’s really no surprise that it was Stiles that was able to find the book.

Derek had already decided to tell Stiles how he felt but hearing the way Stiles talked about him. Hearing him say how much he loves seeing Derek happy, how much _he_ wants to be the one that makes him happy just solidifies Derek’s decision.

It’s easy after that to admit that he loves Stiles. To kiss him. To finally let himself have something that he wants and to just be happy. Derek knows there’s going to be a lot of gloating from his mother and Laura, but he can’t bring himself to care. He’s too busy finally getting to know Stiles in all the ways he’s been wanting to but too afraid to go after. He’s not afraid now. His walls are down and he’s just existing with Stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole thing was my first venture into writing Human AU but I wound up really loving this verse. Maybe I'll do more with it if the inspiration strikes me and it's something people want. Hopefully people enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think. Kudos/Comments make my day <3  
> You can find me on tumblr [here](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


End file.
